CCC, together with Bangladeshi and international labour rights groups and trade unions, have signed an Memorandum of Understanding with the US based company PVH (owner of Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein) to improve safety at their suppliers in Bangladesh.

December 14 marks the first anniversary of the fire at That's It Sportswear garment factory in Bangladesh. The fire on December 14, 2010, caused the death of 29 workers, and injured a number of others, eleven of them seriously. The factory, belonging to the Hameem group, supplied US brands and retailers, including JC Penney, VF corporation, Gap, Philips Van Heusen, Abercrombie & Fitch, Carters, Kohls and Target.

At least 28 more Bangladeshi garment workers have died and dozens more have been injured when a fire broke out on the 9th and 10th floors of the "That's It Sportswear Ltd" factory just outside the capital Dhaka. Labour rights groups are calling for action: "failure of brands, government and manufacturers to take preventive action condemns more workers to die."

Trade unions and labour groups in Bangladesh continue their call upon international buyers to ensure the compensation meets the needs of the families of the workers who died in a fire in the Garib & Garib factory in February this year.

April 11 marks the fifth anniversary of the collapse of the Spectrum/Shahriyar Sweater factory in Bangladesh, which killed 64 workers and injured 80, 54 of whom were seriously injured. The Spectrum collapse focused global attention on the chronic safety problems in the Bangladesh garment industry. To mark the anniversary of the Spectrum collapse, the CCC, the Maquila Solidarity Network (Canada), and the International Labor Rights Forum (USA) call upon all buyers sourcing garments in Bangladesh to take proactive, sustained, and coordinated measures to help eliminate these systemic problems.

Following a horrific factory fire that killed 21 employees of a garment factory in Bangladesh, the factory workers are demanding swift reforms, a criminal investigation and compensation for the victims. Support these workers’ demands by writing to the Government of Bangladesh and international fashion brands sourcing from this factory.

Bangladesh unions and international labour rights organisations are calling for immediate action from brands and the government of Bangladesh following a fatal factory fire which killed at least 21 workers and injured a further 50.

It was terrible; suddenly the entire floor filled up with fire and smoke and the heat was so intense that we rushed towards the windows, broke the steel grills and the glass and jumped out.
• Mohammad, 32, survivor of a factory fire in Pakistan

The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) in March 2013 published a report analysing two recent factory fires in the export-oriented garment industry in Bangladesh and Pakistan in which more than 400 lives were lost. ‘Fatal fashion’ is an urgent call upon governments, suppliers, brands, retailers, audit firms and certification bodies for a fundamental game-change to protect and respect workers’ rights.

The safety record of the Bangladesh garment industry is one of the worst in the world. This briefing from November 2012 aims to give an overview of what action needs to be taken by the different actors involved in order to improve the safety of garment factories in Bangladesh, what has been achieved so far both in preventing future tragedies and compensating the victims of previous incidents and what more could and should be done by the brands, retailers and employers to ensure that the workers of Bangladesh are not risking their lives for the sake of cheap fashion.